Waste Heat From Data Center 'The Spark' Sufficient to Supply The Entire City With Heat

Nowadays, data drives nearly everything. We often talk about “the cloud,” but the data is really located in data centers, and these data centers are big energy consumers – or have been up to now. MIRIS, a real estate development company, working with Norwegian architects Snøhetta, believe we can turn this around with data centers that produce more energy than they use.

The Spark Could Power Cities With Up to 18,000 Inhabitants

The designers say that the new-style data center, dubbed the Spark, could power cities with up to 18,000 inhabitants. The concept was born from the findings of a study which looked at worldwide energy consumption. According to the researchers, 40 percent of the world’s energy is used to power buildings, and two percent of the energy used already goes to data centers.

The Spark located south of Bergen, Norway (Snøhetta)

Strategically located facilities depending on their heating needs (Snøhetta)

As cities become increasingly data-driven, this energy need is expected to rise – unless data centers themselves can become buildings that generate energy. By changing the way we think about data centers, a sustainable concept could become an urban reality.

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«The heat generated by data centers represents a huge untapped potential in terms of energy capture that we wanted to explore further. By efficiently and sustainably exploiting excess energy that would otherwise go to waste, we can use technology to generously support health, recreation and the environment», says Founding Partner at Snøhetta, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

Data Centers as Energy Producers

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Until now, data centers have been sited outside urban centers, but MIRIS and its partners believe that locating them in the heart of cities is a far more sustainable solution.

After all, data centers generate a great deal of heat which, up till now, has gone to waste. If the heat is channeled to surrounding buildings, it will reduce their energy consumption. Meanwhile, solar panels could generate the energy the data center itself needs, thereby making it an energy producer rather than an energy consumer.

According to the prototype designers, one data center could provide enough heat to keep public facilities like gyms or spas comfortable, help to keep industrial premises in hot water or heated air, or heat residential homes and apartments.

The data center with a capacity of 200 racks, amounting to 2 MW, heats the entire city (Snøhetta)

Once the air has cooled, it can be returned to the data center to fulfill its cooling requirements before the now-heated air is cycled back into the loop.

Pilot Project Will Demonstrate the “Energy Positive City” Concept

So far, it’s a case of a concept that looks good on paper, but MIRIS and its partners are determined to prove that their concept can work. The city of Os, south of Bergen, will put the concept to the test. A sustainable Spark data center will form the hub of the new Lysparken business park, a development that could be viewed as a mini-city.

The design also takes the sustainability of building materials into account. After all, a building’s carbon footprint is also determined by the emissions needed for producing construction materials and in erecting the structure. Thus, the design minimizes the use of materials such as concrete and will make use of low-embodied materials like wood.

Should the pilot project perform in accordance with the expectations of its designers, Lysparken will be the first energy positive development to successfully demonstrate a concept that could be applied to entire cities. Snøhetta envisions a world in which “Power Cities” based on its concept are used to take care of the energy needs of inhabitants and even generate more energy than the city itself needs.

Excess heat to supply the entire city with energy (Snøhetta)

Waste heat of the data center used to run a heating network (Snøhetta)

Every new home in California will soon have a solar panel installed for tapping this source of renewable energy. Would that mean a cleaner environment and lesser fossil fuel consumption? The California Energy Commission has planned to mandate that every new home in the state in 2020 has a solar panel installed on the roof. The commission voted in this favor and approved it – solar panel installations will become a common sight on all the new constructions.

The newly proposed rules also push to use electricity over natural gas and increase battery storages. These apply to all the new residential constructions that get a permit after Jan 1, 2020. The only exceptions will be houses with small roofs that cannot accommodate a solar panel or the ones that do not receive any sun because of being shaded by buildings or trees.

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According to Andrew McAllister, one of five state energy commissioners who is going to voting for this standard said, “Zero net energy isn’t enough. If we pursue (zero net energy) as a comprehensive policy, we’d be making investments that would be somewhat out of touch with our long-term goals.” He adds: “Under these new standards, buildings will perform better than ever, at the same time they contribute to a reliable grid. The buildings that Californians buy and live in will operate very efficiently while generating their own clean energy. They will cost less to operate, have healthy indoor air and provide a platform for ‘smart’ technologies that will propel the state even further down the road to a low emissions future.”

It was the commission’s goal since 2007 to make new homes net zero in energy consumption such that they generate enough solar power to offset their total energy requirements (be it electricity or natural gas) in a year-long period. At that time, the state energy commission said, “newly constructed buildings can be net zero energy by 2020 for residences and by 2030 for commercial buildings.” But now the new provisions no longer advocate net-zero energy. The officials now believe that the previous goal is now obsolete as it is not cost-effective.

Further Rise of California’s Housing Costs?

According to C.R. Herro, Meritage’s vice president of environmental affairs, the installation of solar panel would increase the construction costs by $25,000 to $30,000. Over a 25-year period, which is the life of a solar panel, an owner can save $50,000 to $60,000 from the energy-saving. If we go for net zero standards, it would mean an even increased cost. At the same time, the solar energy is only consumed during the daytime. At night, people still use lights, televisions and air conditioning, the power for which is supplied by the grid and gas-powered electricity generating plants, which leaves its carbon footprint. So the additional solar energy is not at all worth it.

Allegedly a stainless-steel mirror captures the sunlight and brings it to rooms using a fiber-optic cable

Almost every home or office has its dark corners away from windows. Until now, the only solution was to use electric lights to brighten things up. Apart from using electricity, electric lighting is never as pleasant as real sunlight, but now, an innovative start-up says it has developed a way to bring sunlight to any part of a building – without the need for structural changes.

Mirror dish (Solros)

The system, developed by Swedish start-up Solros (Swedish for “sunflower”), allegedly captures sunlight using a stainless-steel mirror. Like a sunflower, it moves automatically to follow the sun’s rays. Sunlight is then transmitted to a lightbox or luminary using a fiber-optic cable, bringing natural light to gloomy rooms.

Solros wanted its invention to be within the reach of ordinary people, so it has developed the system to work with either glass or plastic fiber optic cable. The glass fiber cable is costlier but can transfer light over a distance of 100 meters. However, Solros found that a sunlight transmission distance of 20 meters was more than adequate for most homes, and the plastic version of the cable is not only cheaper but able to transmit light over this distance.

Working principle of Solros’ system (Solros)

As an additional cost-cutter, professional installation isn’t needed. Most home handymen and women will be able to install their system with a few basic tools and skills. The system can’t store light, so it doesn’t replace electric lights at night, but as soon as dawn breaks, the Solros dish “wakes up” and begins tracking and concentrating the sunlight once again.

Still, the physical operating principle seems to remain a mystery. What exactly is transported with the cable? What happens with the lightbox?

How it All Began

A pair of engineers, Jon Ramstedt and Daniel Johannsen, developed the first natural light harvesting and distribution system back in 2015. It was suitable for large corporates that wanted to create pleasanter office lighting conditions for their employees. However, the large-scale version was costly, and only affluent companies could afford it. But despite this, the idea gained traction and was put to work in several countries around the world.

The biggest obstacle to even more widespread adoption was the cost, so the two friends decided to investigate ways in which a similar system could be produced for an affordable price. If they could achieve this, they would have a sustainable lighting solution that would not only make homes pleasanter but also save electricity.

Their drive to cut the cost of sunshine-harvesting resulted in the invention of the light-gathering disc and the adoption of plastic fiber-optic cable to replace the more expensive glass cabling. With the new system almost ready for commercial production, Ramstedt and Johannsen decided it was time for some additional skills on the team. They appointed a team of designers to help with the finishing touches that would turn the invention into a marketable product and entered a partnership with an engineering firm, Essiq.

Next Steps will Lead to The Launch of the Light Transferring Technology

Solros is currently busy with a crowdfunding campaign and hopes to use the funds raised to finance the manufacture of its first batch of what it terms “reallight” systems. To keep prices accessible, the company will need to place a sufficiently large order with the factory it has chosen to manufacture the invention.

The team is also developing an app that will allow users to monitor energy savings and get personalized weather forecasts, adding a dimension of fun into the equation. Production of the system is scheduled for August 2018, and the product’s launch will occur in January 2019.

Aiming to accelerate the transition to the post-carbon economy, LAGI brings up and adapts more contingent models of renewable energy

Have you ever thought that artwork could capture clean and renewable energy from nature without affecting its connectivity with the community? The gleaming arch Rio Iluminado is ready to bring an entirely new transformation in the waterfront of downtown Willimantic. On the Connecticut Arts Day, the artwork Rio Iluminado was awarded as the winner of the LAGI Willimantic design competition.

The competition, organized by Land Art Generator, shows that how innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration, culture, and the increasing technology role can give a new form to the aesthetic change in our environment. Aiming to accelerate the transition to the post-carbon economy, LAGI brings up and adapts more contingent models of renewable energy.

(Rio Iluminado)

To execute this design at new whitewater park along the Willimantic River, Land Art Generator worked with Willimantic Whitewater in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Office of the Arts and the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Designed by Pirie Associates Architects, Lindsay Suter, and sculptor Gar Waterman, Rio Illuminado will be placed on the waterfront of downtown Willimantic. The arch, covering 900 sq. ft solar array, will generate 25.5 MWh annually for 3.4 acres of the brownfield site owned by WWP. It will generate energy using the sun while maintaining the community’s connection with nature. It is expected that Willimantic’s multi-use recreational site is able to accelerate the socio-economic development for post-industrial Windham which incorporates the former city.

(Rio Iluminado)

The WWP President James Turner says, “Rio Iluminado cleverly addresses how to bring the river closer to the community—and vice-versa. We are thrilled to have a project design that will result in such an intricately conceived and strikingly executed work of art for the community to enjoy and be inspired by for years to come.” Energy Technical Specialist Jessica LeClair says, “ISE sees the project as a possible model that can be shared across the state.”

For phase II of the development of Rio Illuminado, the team will begin with the detailed design stage. From the intricate drawings for fabrication and equipment fitting to a quantity survey and estimation of cost, the team will provide a prototype and commission planning. Phase III will include the fabrication, instruction, and production of Rio Iluminado. Its cost estimate is between $250,000 and $500,000.

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“Willimantic, as a community in its post-industrial reckoning, struggled to identify itself and its future,” says Laura Pirie, principal of Pirie Associates Architects. “The LAGI program resonated with us, from a community purpose-making point of view.”

(Rio Iluminado)

“You’re creating a sense of space, you’re a creating this physical space that makes people feel further connected, and then you’re putting energy back on the grid,” says Kristina Newman-Scott, Director of Culture in the Office of the Arts & Historic Preservation, with the State of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

Koshe is the only large open landfill in Addis Ababa that has served the city for about 50 years. Earlier in 2017, the site made headlines as 114 people (residents and scavengers) were killed due to a landslide at the premises.

Following the incident, Ethiopian government planned a relocation for people living in the area which is said to be the size of thirty-six football pitches. The purpose of relocating the residents is to transform the site by running a waste-to-energy plant so that Addis Ababa can deal with waste more effectively.

According to reports, Reppie waste-to-energy facility will revolutionize the way the entire city deals with waste. The plant, which is said to have begun operating in January, will take care of 80% of the city’s waste; that would be an incineration of about 1,400 tons of waste every day. As a result, it will fulfill up to 30% of Addis’ household electricity needs and will also meet European standards on air emissions.

Zerubbabel Getachew, the deputy permanent representative of Ethiopia, said to the United Nations in Nairobi that the Reppie project is a part of a broader strategy of Ethiopia to deal with pollution and generate sustainable energy across all sectors of the economy. Getachew further said that the Government of Ethiopia is hopeful that this project will serve as a model for other regions in the country as well as many others around the world.

The working principle

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In energy-from-waste plants, waste is incinerated in a combustion chamber which produces heat that boils the water until it turns to steam. That steam is then used to fuel a turbine generator that generates electricity. These facilities are ideal in cities where land is in short supply. They reduce the release of methane into the atmosphere, prevent the release of toxic chemicals into the groundwater, save precious space, and generate electricity.

These plants are quite popular in Europe as they incinerate up to one quarter of all municipal solid waste. Italy has 40 plants, Germany has 121, and France has 126.

Similar to its European counterparts, Reppie operates according to the standards of European Union and works within its strict emission limits. The plant utilizes state-of-the-art back-end flue technology for gas treatment in order to considerably reduce the release of dioxins and heavy metals produced from the incineration.

The Reppie project is the first of its kind in Africa which is made possible with the partnership between the Government of Ethiopia and an association of several international companies including Ramboll – an engineering firm in Denmark, China National Electric Engineering, and Cambridge Industries Limited (Singapore). The consortium was established specifically to plan, design, construct and own waste-to-energy facilities custom-built for Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the consortium, Reppie is the first of a series of these facilities in key cities across the entire region.